Real Madrid faces Schalke in final preseason friendly

Real Madrid plays its last preseason match on Sunday, August 16, 2026, against Schalke 04 at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The game kicks off at 17:00 Spanish time and will be broadcast live on La 1 de TVE and RTVE Play in Spain, as well as on Real Madrid TV and RM Play Source: abces, elmundoes.

Context

Madrid, under coach José Mourinho, has not yet started its LaLiga season because its first match was postponed to August 26 against Real Sociedad, allowing rest for players who reached the late rounds of the World Cup Source: infobae. The team's league opener is now scheduled for August 22 at Espanyol Source: abces. In their last outing, Madrid beat Deportivo de La Coruña 1-0 in the Teresa Herrera trophy, with a goal from Brahim Díaz Source: elmundoes.

Key points

• The friendly marks the 25th anniversary of the Veltins-Arena's opening, a stadium with a capacity of about 62,000 Source: elmundoes.
• Key players like Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, and Marc Cucurella are still integrating into the team Source: elmundoes.
• Endrick trained indoors, while Tchouaméni and Raúl Asencio did solo work; Mendy, Rodrygo, Militão, and Thiago continue recovering Source: infobae.
• One attraction is whether Diomande, Vinicius, and Mbappé will play together Source: abces.

What's next

After this test, Madrid will face Espanyol on August 22 and then Real Sociedad on August 26 at the Bernabéu, Mourinho's official return to the club's home stadium Source: infobae.